The Abscence of Trust
by Jewel Insert Witty Name Here
Summary: Bletchley has been sneaking out past curfew, and it's up to Warrington make sure he doesn't get the entire House in trouble. BletchleyAlicia, with hints of WarringtonAlicia and MontagueAngelina. Written for the House Unity challenge.


**The Abscence of Trust  
A Harry Potter Fanfiction  
By Jewel**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to JK Rowling, and are copyrighted to their rightful owners. There is no copyright infringement intended by this fanfic.

**Rated PG-13 for language and themes. Spoilers for GoF & OotP.**

Word Count: 2440 words.

_For fullofgrace's "House Unity: Gryffindor-Slytherin Ficathon" over at Livejournal._

Requested by redcandle17, who wanted Alicia/Miles pairing and a scene in the locker room.

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_The Abscence of Trust (1/1)_  
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As a general rule, Warrington didn't have much faith in people. Being in the Slytherin House for the past seven years, Warrington's trust in people had not improved. If anything, he was even more cautious for having woken up one morning in second year to find that Montague and Pucey had transfigured all his black school robes into pink ones. Since then Warrington had learned to lock his trunks and keep a steady eye on his food. When he became a prefect in his fifth year, he learned to be even more cautious lest a Slytherin do something foolish and bring trouble down on the rest of the house.

Thus it was with great concern that Warrington watched his Quidditch teammate, Bletchley, sneak out of the Slytherin dormitory after curfew for the third time in two weeks. Settling himself into a comfortable arm chair near the dying embers in the fireplace, Warrington waited for Bletchley to return. This didn't happen for almost an hour. When Bletchley did drag himself back into the common room, his robes were askew and his hair mussed. Warrington frowned. In the seven years that Warrington had known Bletchley, he had never seen the other boy look any less than his absolute best.

After that night, Warrington began to pay closer attention to Bletchley. Besides his late night excursions, nothing else about the other Slytherin's behavior changed. His Quidditch game remained the same, his grades neither improved or worsened, and his attitude was neither more pleasant or more foul. If Warrington had not seen Bletchley's odd behavior with his own two eyes, he didn't doubt that he wouldn't suspect a thing.

It happened again four days later. Warrington had been shadowing Bletchley carefully, waiting for this moment. When Bletchley slipped out of the common room, before curfew this time, Warrington was ready to tail him. Throwing on a dark cloak, Warrington also slipped out of the dormitory, making sure to keep several feet behind Bletchley.

As he followed Bletchley, Warrington contemplated what reason the other boy had for risking detention by repeatedly leaving the common room after curfew. Being a boy and rather intelligent, Warrington had deduced that the reason more likely than not involved a girl. But as it was obviously not a Slytherin girl, Warrington knew he'd have to put a stop to it. He fervently hoped that Bletchley at least had the good taste to pick a Ravenclaw. Hufflepuffs were completely beneath Slytherins, no pun intended, and Gryffindors were flat out repulsive. Coming from a pureblood family, Warrington appreciated that Bletchley's family would disapprove of him risking the family's name and honor by getting an unworthy girl pregnant.

However, all of Warrington's planned speeches flew out his head when he realized that Bletchley had led him to an exit. Delaying his tracking by five seconds, Warrington eased open the door and continued following his quarry. Outside was a cool, autumn night, the breeze bringing a chill even under his cloak. The moon light was pale and watery, barely providing any useful light. Taking this as a good sign, Warrington crept slowly behind Bletchley, obscured by the night despite the open landscape, as the Keeper headed to the Quidditch Pitch.

Warrington followed Bletchley across the Quidditch field, grateful that the latter was too distracted to notice his stalker. As Bletchley approached the Quidditch changing rooms, which also provided an equipment storage area on the far end of the field, Warrington started to wonder if his first impression had been wrong, and if Bletchley wasn't up to a different kind of mischief. Suddenly happy that he kept his Nimbus locked in a trunk in the dormitory, Warrington stopped and stood as still as a statue as Bletchley pulled out his wand and tapped the lock.

Bletchley didn't even glance behind him as he swung open the door and entered, pulling it close behind him. Warrington frowned at this. He rather thought that as a Slytherin Bletchley should have the intelligence and ability to notice that he was being tailed.

Disappointed by his classmate, and torn between waiting to see who Bletchley's partner in crime was, and wanting to see what Bletchley was doing inside, Warrington hesitated outside the locker rooms. Then, deciding to act as a Slytherin and a prefect instead of some dithering first year Hufflepuff, Warrington pulled out his wand and reached for the door's handle. Yanking the door open, Warrington muttered, "Lumos!"

Walking into the pitch black room, Warrington held his wand out in front of him. And was promptly left speechless as his eyes fell upon the scene illuminated in the circle of light emanating from his wand.

Braced against a locker was Bletchley, with Alicia Spinnet, a Gryffindor and a Quidditch rival no less, draped around him. The couple sprung apart and turned to confront the intruder. Warrington was gratified to see that both offenders' robes were still securely on their bodies, and sent up a prayer to God that he had arrived before they had removed any clothing.

Deciding to ignore Spinnet for the moment, Warrington focused his attention at Bletchley. The Keeper at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Bletchley!" Warrington roared. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Alicia whispered, glancing around as if she expected the entire population of Hogwarts to come bursting in. "You'll wake the school up!"

Rounding on the Gryffindor Chaser, Warrington glared at her. "Wake the school up? You're lucky I don't get the both of you thrown out!"

"For what?" Bletchley asked.

"For - For what?" Warrington asked, flabbergasted. "For breaking the school rules! For sneaking out after curfew! For fraternizing with a Gryffindor! The enemy! Damnit, Bletchley! Have you no taste?"

"Excuse me?" Alicia shrieked, a murderous light entering her eyes.

"You heard me, you little harlot!" Warrington yelled back.

"Warrington, I can't believe you," Bletchley said, rolling his eyes. "You snuck around with Shannon Fawcett for most of our sixth year!"

"At least I chose a Ravenclaw! How could you, Bletchley? Not only a Gryffindor, but their Chaser? Spinnet?" Alicia tried to call Warrington a very unflattering name, but he spoke right over her. Leaning closer to Bletchley he said, "She snuck around with Wood two years ago!"

"What does it matter?" Bletchley asked. "It's not like we're going to get married."

If possible, Warrington looked even more dumbstruck. "That's worse!" He exclaimed. "What would your parents say? I happen to know for a fact that they've already betrothed you to nice, pureblood girl from Italy!"

"I'll have you know, Warrington, that my family is just a purebred as yours!" Alicia said angrily. "Not that I want to marry Miles."

"Well it doesn't matter anymore," Warrington replied resolutely. "It's over now. You're both going to go back to your dorms, and you're both going to forget this incredibly stupid idea of snogging each other!"

Alicia stepped closer to Warrington, and, using all her strength, shoved him. "Who do you think you are, you git?"

Caught off-guard by her violent attack, Warrington, despite his greater mass and strength, stumbled backwards a few steps. Glaring daggers at her, he said, "Spinnet, right now the only thing saving you is the fact I don't have Bletchley hexing my knickers purple."

"Warrington," Bletchley said, "Alicia's right. You are git. Now get out and leave us alone!"

"I'll tell Snape about this!" Warrington threatened, coming to his last resort. "At the very least you'll get detention for sneaking out after curfew. As for you, Spinnet, he'll probably make you scrub cauldrons. In fact, 10 points from Slytherin, and 50 from Gryffindor!"

"What!" Alicia screamed, nearly shattering Warrington's ear drum.

"You're crazy!" Bletchley echoed.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Warrington stared at them, on the dim edge of his glowing wand's light. "I suggest that both you leave now if you want to avoid an explanation in the morning of why each house lost points tonight."

Warrington watched with grim satisfaction as both turned and exited the locker room. After he made sure that the locker room was once again locked, Warrington followed them back into the castle. He had just made sure Spinnet took the correct stairs back to the Gryffindor Tower when he felt Bletchley's fist connect with his left eye.

After he caught his balance again, Warrington gingerly touched his new bruise. "Damnit, Bletchley, you got me right in the eye!"

"Damn right," Bletchley said, glaring at his friend.

Laughing, Warrington replied, "What took so long? I was wondering if you were really a Hufflepuff disguised as Bletchley."

As the boys walked through the twisting corridors that led to the Slytherin dormitory beneath the lake, Warrington asked, "A Gryffindor, Bletchley? Surely you aren't that hard up for a lay."

"For your information, you bastard, I like Alicia."

Warrington stopped in his tracks. "You aren't serious!"

"Yes, I am."

Warrington smirked. "Then why sneak around after curfew in the locker room?"

In the dim corridor, Warrington thought he saw a Bletchley's jaw clench. "Because she wants to keep it a secret from her Gryffindor friends."

Warrington shook his head. "Good, old Gryffindor pride. What'd you expect, Bletchley? That she'd introduce her friends to her Slytherin snogger?"

"She'll come around eventually," Bletchley muttered.

"No, she won't," Warrington said sharply, turning so he blocked Bletchley's path. "Let's get two things straight. One, she's a Gryffindor. All of them think they're so much fucking better than us. They're never going to stop thinking that either. She might snog you, or even fuck you, in the locker room, but she'll never ask you to eat with her at the Gryffindor table. Two, you're a Slytherin and a pureblood. You're bound to standards she will never understand, even if she herself is a pureblood. You're never going to see her again, because if you do, I'll tell your parents."

Bletchley sneered at him, "And when did you become such an expert about Gryffindors?"

"Two years ago," Warrington said, stepping out of Bletchley's way, "Montague tried the same thing with Angelina Johnson. When he asked about seeing her over the summer, she stopped meeting him in the Astronomy Tower. Then last year, she started up with Fred Weasley."

Warrington started to walk away when Bletchley called out, "Wait! How do you know all that?"

Not turning around, Warrington replied, "Montague told me after I asked him if I should ask Alicia to the Yule Ball last year."

Bletchley stood speechless as Warrington retreated to the Slytherin common room.

-?-

Alicia looked up as a shadow fell over her Charms textbook. "Miles!' She exclaimed happily. "How'd you get away from Warrington?"

Bletchley shrugged. "Alicia, I've been thinking about our, er, situation."

"So have I!" She said, smiling brightly. "There's an abandoned part of the Astronomy Tower --"

"I have a better idea," Bletchley said, interrupting her as he sat in the chair next to her.

Alicia suddenly glanced around, as though she expected someone to jump out of the stacks, much in the manner of Warrington like the night before. Her eyes caught on a group of Ravenclaw third years, before she looked at Bletchley.

"I think we should just go public," Bletchley suggested, beaming at her. "Warrington was only able to take house points away because we were out after curfew. But if we could meet before curfew, and in the open, then Warrington, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't be able to stop us."

Bletchley's smile faltered as he saw her look down at her Charms homework. Worried, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"I - I really don't think that would be a good idea." Before he could interrupt her again, she rushed to continue on. "It's not that I don't like you, because I do. I do. But... it's not just that we're in Slytherin and Gryffindor, but we're both also on the Quidditch team. Neither of us would have an easy time from our houses, or our teams. Just think of Warrington's behavior amplified! I don't think I could live with that!"

"So you're saying that we shouldn't date anymore?"

Alicia bit her lip, but brought her gaze up to meet Bletchley's. "Maybe we shouldn't. With the first game coming up, maybe it isn't a good idea."

"I see," Bletchley said blankly, standing.

Alicia's eyes followed him, looking hopeful. "Do you?"

"I see that Warrington was right." Bletchley, acting more on emotion than rational thought, pulled out his wand.

Alicia frowned, but didn't have time to react before Miles hexed her.

-?-

"I heard about it," Warrington said that night at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall.

Bletchley didn't look up from his plate as he answered. "What'd you hear?"

Sitting beside his friend, Warrington laughed as he grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice. "That you hexed her so badly, no one could tell where her hair ended and where her eyebrows began"

"I'm glad at least one person is happy," Bletchley muttered darkly.

"Oh, cheer up!" Warrington practically chirped. "You hexed a Gryffindor Chaser and no one's giving you detention. How many of us can say that?"

-?-

Montague looked up at Bletchley as he approached him that night in the Slytherin common room. "That was a brilliant hex today, Bletchley."

"Learned it when my older sister shaved my head one night. Look, I needed to ask you something."

"Didn't Pucey give you the game plan for Saturday's game?" Montague asked.

Bletchley shook his head. "No, it's not about Quidditch. It's about Angelina Johnson?"

"Yea? What about her?"

"About when you dated her-"

Montague almost hurt himself laughing. "Me? Date Angelina Johnson? God, Bletchley, is today your day of jokes?"

Bletchley frowned, then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You never dated Angelina Johnson?"

Montague started laughing again. "God, the idea of it!"

Bletchley looked away from his chuckling Quidditch captain. Across the room Warrington was interrogating two first years.

Closing his eyes, Bletchley look a second to absorb his housemate's cleverness. For a second there he had forgotten which House he was in, and how dangerous trust could be. Clearly Warrington hadn't. Opening his eyes again, Bletchley went to the seventh year boys' room. The game between Slytherin and Gryffindor was this weekend, and he had best study Montague's game strategies. Warrington would be paying close attention to him, and he couldn't afford to show weakness in this game.

As for Alicia... Well, things were beyond repair now. And if he were honest, he wasn't sure if he wanted to repair anything. After all, in the end it hadn't been Warrington alone who had pushed his hand.

- END -

Author's Notes:

- I got off to several false starts while working on this challenge. But one night I sat down and started typing, and 2000+ words later, this is what I had. I hope you enjoyed it.

- There was a scene that I liked, and typed two times and subsequently deleted two times. It included Angelina and took place after Alicia was hexed. But as much as I liked it, I didn't feel that it served any purpose that couldn't be assigned to another scene.

- I was honestly going for fluff. As you can see from the beginning, I wanted this to be strictly comedy. But no, my muse wouldn't have that. Instead Angelina and Montague showed up and demanded I create a possibility of angst for them. They're persistent. So if you didn't like the direction this took, blame them.

- When I write, I generally like to answer all questions raised, even if it means a sequel, because I don't like leaving room for variation where a reader could interpret something different from what I intended. But in this case I'm going to make a special request of the reader and beg the question: Is Warrington a manipulative bastard? Or is Montague lying through his teeth to save face? You decide for yourself.

Jewel  
06.23.2005


End file.
